From Leopold Mozart’s teaching and promotion of his son’s early career to the later compositions of Franz Xaver Mozart, the program traces the musical lineage surrounding one of history’s most celebrated composers.
The selection of the evening’s works was also fitting to the moment of new meets old, in that just prior to writing them, both Mozart and Mahler had immersed themselves in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, the better to hone their comprehension and execution of the counterpoint of which he was and remains the supreme master.
Under Ken-David Masur’s direction on Saturday, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 crackled with such vitality and force that past performances of the work now seem pale and tentative by comparison.
